


we get a little sentimental

by txbris



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Goro just wants affection, Longing, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Yearning, a light sprinkling of angst, minor P5 spoilers, no beta we die like Glenn Fireemblem, set during the Casino Palace, two bros chilling in a safe room one foot apart and they are gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25748095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/txbris/pseuds/txbris
Summary: Crow watched - no, studied - Skull intently as he reacted to each goodbye, his cheeks flaming over Panther's kiss and the way he subtly leaned back into Fox's touch. The scowl on his face after Oracle mussed up his hair belied the glint in his eye, the swell of his chest as Queen bade farewell, and the crimson in his cheeks stretching down beyond his collar after receiving Noir's parting gift.He would be lying if he said he didn't want to experience that kind of pure love, the intimate affection shared between friends in a love language consisting of unspoken words, touches, and gestures. He purposely kept himself closed off, like a songbird in a cage, for fear that giving in would result in some sort of personal failure.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 100





	we get a little sentimental

"Careless," Crow wheezed as Joker and Panther helped him limp into a nearby safe room.

He wasn't too sure who the comment had been aimed at. If he were to place blame on anyone, it would be Skull, given how it was his attack that had missed and caused one of the enemy shadows to blow up. The resulting explosion had absolutely peppered Crow with shadow shrapnel, shredding his outfit and driving jagged chunks of pseudo-metal into his chest.

It stung like a bitch, to say the least.

The duo hauled Crow up onto the safe room's table, Joker's clever hands carefully brushing away what was left of Crow's shirt and removing his mask while Queen retrieved medical supplies from a bag nearby. She had just settled into a chair in front of him and Crow had just prepared himself for what would most likely be an extremely awkward few minutes when Skull nudged her on the shoulder.

"Lemme help," he muttered. "S'my fault after all."

Queen didn't argue, relinquishing a pair of forceps and the chair to Skull. Crow wasn't sure which hurt worse - knowing that the Phantom Thieves still didn't trust him, or the incredible pain in his chest that accompanied his heaving sigh.

"Relax," Skull put one hand on Crow's thigh to hold him steady while he started pulling at the largest fragment of shrapnel with the forceps. "You're in good hands."

Crow's low laugh earned him another wave of pain through his chest. Skull tightened his grip.

"Which bit of 'relax' ain't you gettin', man?"

Instead of arguing that Skull's iron-tight grip on his thigh wasn't exactly helping, Crow tried to relax. He regulated his breathing. In through his nose. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Out through his mouth in one long exhale. In through his nose again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Out through his mouth again.

Once removed from his chest, each piece of shrapnel dispersed into dust, leaving only a terrible burning ache in its wake. Inhale. Crow tried to remind himself that the pain was just cognitive, the injuries were just cognitive, and that once they were out of Sae's Palace his chest would no longer be bloody and torn. Exhale.

Inhale. He wasn't a fan of this place. Everything was too bright while the lights were too low. Cigarette smoke clung to the walls. The place was suffocating. Flashy and fake. Exhale. But it would be over soon. They'd steal the treasure, Joker would be apprehended, and he'd meet an unfortunate end in the interrogation room. Inhale. The Phantom Thieves would disband and Crow would be one step closer to destroying his father. Necessary evils.

A sudden surge of rage seethed through Crow's veins, causing his skin to break out in goosebumps.

"Oh, whoa, hey," Skull pulled back, releasing his grip on Crow's leg. "Sorry, man, I didn't realise-"

"It wasn't you," Crow interrupted, curt and clipped. "Continue."

Skull nodded before pulling off his mask and laying it on the table next to Crow's. He then returned to his work, diligently pulling out shards and waiting for them to disappear. Crow almost missed the pressure of his hand against him.

Almost.

"Hey guys," Joker loomed over Skull's shoulder like an omen. "Oracle says that the switch to change the machines in our favour is just three corridors away, so we're going to go after it."

Crow simply hummed in acknowledgement. Fine. If his injury was hindering the mission, that just meant less work for him.

"D'you think Crow can go in this state?" Skull turned his head to look at Joker. "He's still got like, half a Shadow in him."

"We're gonna leave you two here!" Oracle popped up over Skull's other shoulder. "You'll be fiiiiiiine. Maybe."

"If anyone asks what you're doing, just say you're with the Phantom Thieves," Joker grinned. Crow didn't see what was so funny about it.

"Alright, alright," Skull waved the forceps at Joker. "Just remember to come back for us, yeah?"

Joker clapped Skull on the shoulder, nodded at Crow, and turned to leave. The rest of the Thieves filed out behind him, with Panther giving Skull a quick kiss on the top of his head, Fox delicately trailing his hand along the Thief's shoulders, Oracle ruffling his hair, Queen patting him on the back, and Noir giving him a kiss on his cheek. Even Mona gave a goodbye, begrudgingly allowing Skull to pet him once on the top of his head.

Crow watched - no, studied - Skull intently as he reacted to each goodbye, his cheeks flaming over Panther's kiss and the way he subtly leaned back into Fox's touch. The scowl on his face after Oracle mussed up his hair belied the glint in his eye, the swell of his chest as Queen bade farewell, and the crimson in his cheeks stretching down beyond his collar after receiving Noir's parting gift.

He would be lying if he said he didn't want to experience that kind of pure love, the intimate affection shared between friends in a love language consisting of unspoken words, touches, and gestures. He purposely kept himself closed off, like a songbird in a cage, for fear that giving in would result in some sort of personal failure.

"What're you lookin' at?"

Skull waving the forceps in front of Crow's face brought him out of his reverie.

"Nothing," Crow snapped. "Now are you going to finish fixing me up or should I start getting my shirts custom-made?"

If his weak attempt at a joke didn't quite land correctly, Skull didn't show it. He returned to his work and for a while, the only sounds in the safe room were the rustling of Skull's clothes as he shifted in his seat, the occasional crackle as each removed shard turned to dust, and the sound of Crow's own controlled breathing.

Inhale. He fixed his focus on Skull. The Thief's brows were furrowed and the tip of his tongue poked out of his mouth in concentration as he attempted to navigate the smaller wounds on Crow's chest. Exhale.

This wasn't how Crow had expected his infiltration of the Phantom Thieves to go. It was meant to be a simple in-and-out job, no thoughts or feelings involved. Inhale. Nothing to get tangled up in, no loose ends to smooth out. So why was he so fixated on the movement of Skull's hands and why did it feel like his own heart was about to dissolve into dust, too?

"Hey," Skull stilled. "You okay, dude?"

Crow didn't know how to reply. A curt "yes" made its way out automatically.

Skull sat back in his chair. "You don't look okay."

"I don't believe that is for you to decide, Skull," Crow frowned. There were still several fragments stuck in his chest, but the majority of the shrapnel had been taken care of, leaving only jagged tracks behind. "Are you 'wussing' out on me?"

A short, sharp laugh. More of a bark, really. "Is that the ace detective using slang?"

"Hmph."

"Nah, I'm just messin' with you, dude," Skull moved forward again, twirling the forceps in his hand. The move was remarkably fluid and Crow watched, mesmerised, as the metal flashed between his fingers. "Just hang in there while I get these last few fuckers."

He stood up, leaning over Crow. One hand clamped down on his shoulder to keep the injured detective steady.

"Better angle," Skull said.

Crow didn't know where to look. His eyes flitted around the room, searching for something to aim his attention at, something to distract him from the uncomfortable tugging in his abdomen, but wound up drifting back to Skull anyway. The angle of his jaw, the way his scarf softly swayed away from his chest, tickling Crow's collarbone-

"Done," Skull let go of Crow's shoulder. "You're now Kikuri-Hime free."

He slumped down into his chair, tossing the forceps across the table. It didn't really matter what happened to them, seeing as they'd be tucked back in the medical bag upon their next trip to the safe room, magically sterilised and ready for reuse. Safe rooms were convenient like that.

"Neither of us have healing moves," Crow tentatively traced the cuts on his torso, wincing when they seared with pain.

"O-oh yeah, dude," Skull scrambled to his feet. "I'll find you like, some bandages or somethin'."

He located the bag of medical supplies, sifting through it with all the fervour of an archaeologist who was about to stumble upon a rare find. It didn't take him long to locate a pack of medical gauze, a pair of scissors, and some surgical tape.

"D'you wanna, or, like, d'you," Skull mumbled as he moved back toward Crow, supplies in hand. "Y'know."

Staying silent, Crow raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Skull huffed. "S'cool, I'll do it."

He seated himself back in front of Crow, holding up the gauze to each wound and then roughly cutting it down to an appropriate size. While Skull's first-aid skills left a lot to be desired in terms of artistic merit, the haphazard bandages would at least do until they returned to the real world.

"Uh, sorry 'bout that," Skull scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I think you're like, mostly tape at this point."

For the first time in a long while, Crow let out a genuine laugh, one not marred by sarcasm or disbelief. Skull definitely wasn't wrong. He'd been a bit too generous with the tape and, when Crow stretched and moved to get off the table, several pieces came undone under the strain.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment.

"I can put more on?" Skull offered uncertainly.

"It's no worry," Crow waved a hand, causing more tape to come unstuck. "I would greatly appreciate a shirt, though."

After a few minutes of futile searching, Skull shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Crow. "Take it."

Crow did so, slipping it over his shoulders. Like the bandages, it would do.

"What do we do now?" he asked, running his fingers over the jacket's material absently.

"Dunno," Skull flopped back into his chair. "Wait?"

Crow wordlessly agreed, settling back down onto the edge of the table and folding his arms, ignoring the bolt of pain that fizzled up his spine.

The two of them waited in silence. Skull seemed particularly interested in his own fingernails while Crow intentionally stared at the wall straight ahead, surreptitiously sneaking glances at the other Thief when he thought he wasn't looking.

"Soooooo," Skull made a popping sound with his mouth. "Read any good books lately?"

"I found The Metamorphosis by Kafka to be particularly intriguing."

"Alright."

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Uhhhh, nope."

Instead of scoffing and making some sort of sarcastic rebuttal, Crow opted for the more placid approach. "It's about a man who wakes up one day and finds that he has been transformed into a bug."

"What?" Skull scooted forward in his chair. "Whaddaya mean, he's a bug?!"

"Well, to be more accurate, he finds himself transformed into a 'monstrous vermin', but the implication is that he is now some sort of ginormous insect."

"I'm guessin' that that causes all kindsa shit for him."

Crow snorted. "That is an understatement."

"I don't think I'd wanna be a giant insect. Bein' all, like, y'know," Skull waggled his fingers in front of his face in a crude impression of mandibles. "Like that."

"I think you're perfectly fine the way you are, Skull."

The compliment had left his mouth before Crow's brain had time to send it through the usual set of filters. To his surprise, Skull didn't balk at his words, instead gracing him with a wide grin.

"Awww, it's good to know you like the human version of me."

"Well, if you were to turn into a ginormous insect, I feel I would still like you as a person even then."

Maybe it was the blood loss that was causing him to bypass his usual reserved personality.

If Skull's grin got any wider, it would split his face in two. "But you wouldn't like all my wiggly bits 'n shit?"

"Yes, I would find your, and I quote, 'wiggly bits and shit' rather abhorrent," Crow finally looked away from the wall, shifting on the table so that he was facing Skull.

Skull tilted his head. "At least you're honest."

"I would much rather that you didn't turn into a giant insect any time soon, though."

"No promises," Skull leaned back in his chair again, stretching out his shoulder as he went. "D'you think they're doin' alright without us?"

"Considering Joker's arsenal of Personas, I would assume so."

"Aw, man, you could've at least lied to spare my feelings or some shit."

Crow hid his smile behind the ridiculously high collar of Skull's jacket. "I mean, I'm sure they're suffering plenty without you there to electrocute any potential threats."

"S'more like it!"

A silence settled over the two of them and Crow was surprised to find it strangely comfortable. Skull was occupied with stretching his limbs and he seemed more than content to just sit there and wait for the Thieves to return for their missing members.

For a brief second, Crow could have forgotten his mission, his motives, the fact that they were halfway through an infiltration, and simply sat and bathed in the warmth that was Skull's company.

"Dude, you cold?"

It took Crow a moment to realise that the comment was directed at him and it took another moment for him to realise he was shivering and instinctively trying to pull Skull's jacket closer around him. The adrenaline from being attacked had finally started to wear off entirely and for the first time that afternoon, Crow realised just how close he had been to potentially dying in the Metaverse.

"C'mere," Skull took Crow's lack of response as some sort of response in itself and stood up. "Lemme do that up for you."

Before Crow could object, Skull was right in front of him, gently buttoning up the borrowed jacket. Crow wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't used to being babied in such a way - except he wasn't being babied, he was being cared for. Because that's what friends did. They cared for each other. They showed it with tender touches and soft words, they showed it by saying things like "let me know when you get home safe" and "this reminded me of you" and "get some rest", and they showed it by making sure the other person didn't freeze to death in what was supposed to be a safe room.

Crow teetered on the brink of giving in, his mind swerving dangerously.

Out of all the Phantom Thieves he could imagine opening up to, Skull and Queen were tied for last place. Crow believed he'd rather divulge his innermost desires to Mona first. Joker was at the top of his list, considering he'd most likely take Crow's confessions to the grave.

Could it be that Skull _cared_ for him?

"Dude?" Skull's voice once again snapped Crow out of his thoughts, bringing him back to the present.

"Mh," Crow let his emotions win this battle, allowing surrender to wash over him like a warm wave and dropping his head onto Skull's shoulder. "Stay here."

"I wasn't like, plannin' on goin' anywhere."

"I mean _here_ here."

"S'what I meant too."

Skull's hands drifted from the front of his jacket as he snaked his arms around Crow, pulling him closer. Crow tried to soothe the frantic beating of his heart, tried to replace the sudden dryness in his mouth, tried to focus on himself and his mission.

For the first time, Crow failed.

He closed his eyes, edging closer into Skull's embrace.

The moment was ruined by the sound of the safe room's door handle rattling, causing Crow and Skull to spring apart. The Phantom Thieves burst back into the room with a literal wheelbarrow packed full of coins, loudly celebrating their definitely-not-rigged win.

"Oh, hey," Joker's smile was bordering on a smirk. "Did you get Crow patched up?"

Hands deep in his pockets and a safe distance away from Crow, Skull nodded. "Yep. He could probably do with a healing move or two, though."

"On it," Queen stepped forward, cracking her knuckles.

The rest of the heist went smoothly enough. Crow pretended not to notice how Skull kept trying to hold his gaze, or how he kept standing just that little bit too close to him, or how he tried to deflect any moves aimed in Crow's direction.

With their newly acquired coins, the Phantom Thieves paid their way to the Treasure, ensured they had all their Will Seeds in order, and made their way back out to the real world.

Crow allowed the cold air to sink into his skin, taking a deep breath in to steady himself. The night's bitter embrace forced him to remember his own reality, his own ideals, his own goals, and the fact that he had no room for failure, no room for emotions, no room for attachment.

It was back to business as usual.

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the lack of resolution on this! I wrote it in a haze like a month ago and AO3 was two days away from deleting it, so I thought I'd throw it out into the world. If there's enough love for Ryugoro out there, I might write a part two! ♡⃛ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ )
> 
> Please free to follow me on Twitter at [@kula3h](https://twitter.com/kula3h) for Persona and FE posting! (no pressure though!)


End file.
